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the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, seek recognition? mr. guthrie: pursuant to house resolution 879, i call up h.r. 3109, and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 223, h.r. 3109, a bill to require the secretary of energy to direct the national petroleum counsel to -- council to issue a report to with respect to petrochemical refineries in the united states and other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 879 the bill is considered read. the bill shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee on education and commerce or their respective dezic nears. the gentleman from kentucky, mrn from new jersey, mr. pallone, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie. mr. guthrie: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to insert extraneous material on h.r. 3109. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. guthrie: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman recognized. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. the american economy is filed petrochemical refineries providing affordable gas and diesel to families and products imperative for the maintenance of our defense system. the national security component of a viable petroleum industry account with overstate. under the previous administration we saw the result of an energy threat in sluggish economies an increasing relicense on o'nations. unfortunately this still holds in states like california where

a hostile regulatory environment has force red fineries to reduce operations. in fact the golden state is expected to lose 17% of its capacity in the next year. this has led to an average gasoline price of nearly $5 per gallon, increased fuel dependence on asian producers and jeopardized the fuel supply chain of military installations in their state. we must not let this become status quo across the country. h.r. 3109 requires a national petroleum council to collect and examine information regarding the role of petrochemical refineries in the united states and their cricks to affordability, security and reliability. their report will asays opportunities to expand capacity as well as current risk to refineries. h.r. 3109 will provide department of energy and congress the information we knead to deliver policies that deliver affordable, reliable,

clean energy to all americans. i thank representative latta, the chairman of the energy subcommittee, for his leadership on this issue. i urge all of my colleagues to support h.r. 3109, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, messages from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: mr. secretary. the secretary: i've been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 2741, an act to establish within the environmental protection agency the office of mountain, deserts and plains, and for other purposes in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to this bill which is a complete and utter waste of the house of representatives' time. it is the national petroleum to

do this and that's it that's the entire bill. in my opinion asking the national petroleum council to do something it can do on its own makes no sense. the house was out of session for 45 days because speaker johnson refused to bring the house back to reopen the government. now speaker johnson claims we'll be working day and night on important problem. i certainly agree that we should be doing that. we should be working on problems that americans care about. but millions of americans are seeing their health care costs skyrocket because the president and republicans refuse to extend critical tax credits that make health care more affordable for millions of americans. millions more are paying thousands of dollars more a year for everyday goods because of the president's tariffs. these tariffs are a tax on the american people, and they're expected to cost families more than $2,000 each year when they

take full effect. and meanwhile, prices on everything from utilities to food to energy, even prices for thanksgiving dibber next week are going up. so you'd think that the house republicans would be doing something, anything, anything at all, to fight these high prices. but instead, we're here talking about a bill that requires a big oil and gas lobby group to put together a report. that's it. i cannot stress that this report is simply not needed. regardless of who does it in. fact it's almost an insult, morally to refinery workers on the east coast including my state of new jersey, who don't need a study to tell you why refining capacity here as dropped by over one third in the last decade. it all goes back to the repeal of the crude oil export ban in 2015. you don't have to take my word for it. the nonpartisan government accountability office found in a

2020 report, that was a report that domestic refinery margins suffered in the wake of the repeal. but this bill only asks for the report to assess executive actions, regulations or policies that have impacted refinery, in the a change in the law. if it was dealing with a change in the law, i think that would make seps. but it's a massive, massive oversight to not talk about the law and what happened when the crude oil export ban was lifted 10 years ago. that's what caused the problem with refineries. but the most ridiculous part of this bill is that it demands the study not be done by the department of energy, but by the national petroleum council, an industry advisory body for big oil and gas. any of doubt that the national petroleum council will produce a biased report that will likely complain about every environmental regulation that protects the american people but that they don't like, because that's what republicans have

been doing is repealing all the environmental regulations. if republicans wanted an unbiased view of domestic refining challenge they would have asked the department of energy to craft a report. but that's not what they're looking for because republicans just want to sanction fossil fuel propaganda and that's what they're doing with this bill. it's a waste of everyone's time, mr. speaker, it's just another example of how republicans have absolutely no ideas to help american families, to lower everyday costs, we need to be working on real solutions, democrats and republicans, to address the affordability crisis. that's what the american people want. not this report. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. guthrie: when i was a young man, i remember gas lines and everybody said we were going to

run out of crude oil. that was the thing. running out of crude oil. i appreciate bringing up the crude oil issue, it's because of the ingenuity of the american people we have an abundance of crude oil. the issue isn't crude. it's the refining capacity. and since i was a kid we found this abundance of crude oil, permian basin, north dakota, all the places we can name, more than they have in the middle east which when i was a kid a lot of it was coming from the middle east. but then enough choke point of refining capacity. we haven't built a refinery, a new refinery in the united states since i was a kid and so that's the thing we want to address. that's the issue we want to address. we do want prices to go down. we don't want it to be $5 a gallon. i was putting gas in a rental car in california, we paid probably $2.68 in kentucky, it was $4.88 there, i said do you have any idea what the rest of the country, the rest of the world is paying for gasoline? we're here to address it work a

bill by my again, the chair of the subcommittee on energy and commerce, chairman latta. i yield three minutes to mr. latta from ohio. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. latta: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my friend the chairman of the full committee, the energy and commerce committee for yielding. i rise in support of my bill, h.r. 3109, the refiner act. this legislation would direct the national petroleum council to report to congress and the department of energy on petrochemical refiners in the united states. this legislation is essential to ensuring the u.s. can reliably produce enough refined products domestically. the energy information administration projects global demand for liquid fuels to increase by about 20 million barrels behr day by 2050. alarmingly over the last several year, north america has lost an estimated one million barrels of fuel a day due to low refine

capacity. the last report from the national petroleum council was completed over 20 years ago. the report must include information concerning the contribution of refineries to u.s. energy security, capacity projections of u.s. petrochemical refineries, opportunities for expanding capacities, and risk to those refineries. an assessment of any federal -- an assessment of any state or federal executive actions, regulations or policies that have caused or cribbed to a decline in u.s. petrochemical refinery capacity, recommendations for how to increase refinery capacity. american refineries played a crucial role in providing secure, affordable, high value petroleum products to global customers. importantly, this legislation would help iden if i state that was caused or contributed to a decline in u.s. petrochemical refinery capacity. hostile regulatory environments

like in california have led to the shuttering of several refineries. california used to be home to over 40 refineries in the 1980's. this number has now decreased to 14 as of last year with two additional refineries slated to close in early 2026. these anticipated closures will disrupt fuel supplies and increase energy prices for consumers, businesses and farmers. an analysis by the university of southern california anticipates retail gas prices in the state cowl increase by as much as 75% under certain conditions. the bottom line, fewer refineries result in a supply disruption and higher fuel prices for americans. the refinery act seeks to produce a detailed road map to strengthen and expand refining capacity to increase american energy security and economic growth. i merge colleagues to support the legislation. i thank the chairman for yielding and i yield back.

mr. guthrie: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves, the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, my point is this report does not ask the people that are doing it to look into the change of law that would be necessary in order to bring refineries back. the reason why we lost so many refineries, particularly on the east coast and new jersey, was because the ban on export of crude oil was lifted 10 years ago. so you don't need a refinery if you can export the crude but this report doesn't address that at all. with that, i would now yield such time as she may consume to the ranking member of our energy subcommittee, ms. castor of florida. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. castor: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding the time. i rise in opposition to h.r. 3109 and i know my republican

colleagues want to pretend that this is a simple, unbiased study bill but it's not. it's -- the bill asks the national petroleum council, a council that is made up of members from the oil and gas industry, to create a report that says that the united states needs more oil and gas. i fear that what this is a recipe for is higher electric bills. higher costs for hardworking americans who already are being crushed by higher bills. there are unbiased public servants who could write this report. for example, at the department of energy. but of course elon musk and the trump administration has pushed out more than 3,500 public servants there and as a result the department of energy is in trouble. the department has even had to ask external lawyers for things like defending against challenges relating to their

illegal cancellations of projects across the country. and to bring this bill at a time where people are really they want to see the congress work to solve problems, i think, demonstrates that folks up here are out of touch. it's part of a very disturbing republican trend, led by the president, to purge the government of real experts and to slash and burn like medical research. finding the cures and dreams that we need to survive and thrive. trying to dismantle illegally the department of education. going after public health, really ruining a rot a lot of the expert public health advice that helps keep our neighbors healthy and safe. and then here when we are talking about oil and gas lobbyists, they are in control of the agenda here in the united

states congress. and i just think my colleagues are not solving problems and watching the president just remain out of touch is so painful to people back home. they feel betrayed. even during the republican shutdown where the president wasn't focused on trying to negotiate a solution there or take us out of the health care crisis, no, he tore down the entire east wing to make way for a 90,000 square foot, $300 billion. great gatsby at mar-a-lago and dancing girls. it's mind boggling. last year, president trump convened oil industry lobbyists at his home to ask $1 billion for his presidential campaign

and now coming to collect now almost after two months when speaker johnson had the house of representatives shut down because he didn't want to find a solution on rising food costs or release the epstein files, we could have been focusing on ways to lower costs and solve real problems. but they continue to bring bills like this, a study on how to produce more oil and gas. and here's the connection to higher bills. while they want to pad the profits of oil and gas companies, what they are doing to sabotage jobs and cleaner and cheaper energy is showing up in their electric bills and they are angry. i was with neighbors who were burning their electric bills because costs are increasing so dramatically. on january 20, the president

froze and blond permits for projects that had been approved. on february 5, the arm corps of engineers halted permits for renewable energy projects on private lands. in march as part of his tariff war he imposed 10% tax on energy from canada. in april, the president fired the staff overseeing the home energy assistance program which helps working families. and weeks later, the white house proposed cutting it entirely. in may, the secretary of energy ordered an old michigan coal plant to stay online forcing the company to spend a million dollars a day, costs that are passed on to families across the midwest. in june, the trump

administration e.p.a. proposed a rule to allow gas and quoll plants to have terrible emissions. in july, republicans passed big ugly bill that will saddle families with $110 and $4,000 within a decade. in august, e.p.a. announced illegal cancellation of the solar for all grant initiative which was intended to bring affordable energy to 900,000 households. in september, the trump administration unveiled $600 million bailout for coal plants to keep them online. in october, while shutting down the government, the white house tried to claw back clean energy

funds. we should be working together to solve problems, not wasting time on trying to figure out how we have profit from industries. but looking out for the pocket books of americans. americans expect better of this congress and send a message that we aren't going to put up with it anymore. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. remind all persons in the gallery they are guests of the house and any manifestation of approval or disapproval of proceedings is in violation of the rules of the house. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr.guthrie: we lost 42 days

because our side of the aisle wanted the government open and sit down and work through the issues before us but they chose not to fund the government. i was embarrassed -- i voted for all of it, to see a t.s.a. and coming here and seeing the people in front of us, the people guarding the doors at the capitol building and no pay. that was extremely frustrating to me. and beyond the pale that happened. on the epstein files, the speaker tried to come unanimous consent with the epstein files. he said let's pass the epstein files and the other side objected to it. i don't know why. they held it up for several days. there were a few rallies. and 427-1.

when you are trying to get the epstein files out or people got in town for their rallies. the national petroleum counsel is a part of the department of energy. all through government we have counsels of people who are experts, department of labor has them and people have counsels to give advice. we know we have ample crude. 40 refineries in california down to 14. if you want affordability, you have to get the crude out of the ground but to refine it. as we are shrinking it and not increasing supply w we aren't going to have affordability. we want the experts to give us

their information. we don't have to do what they say but take the information and where we can provide lower prices. if you want to think this doesn't work, come and buy gas in kentucky and tell us what efficient does. i'll challenge them to do that and most expensive tax pump and won't compare what is going on in california. i kneeled two minutes to my friend from georgia, mr. carter, two minutes. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 3109 the refiner act. for too long, america has fallen behind in refining capacity. we have lost 1 million barrels of fuel per day due to lower refining capacity. the biden administration

suspended oil and gas leasing, delaying permits and cancelling the keystone xl pipeline. with president trump and republicans in charge, those days are over with. the refiner act offers a solution. this bill requires the national petroleum counsel to submit a report analyzing the american refining and how to increase our refining capacity. our constituents elected us to lower prices. this would provide data and guyedance how to ensure sure fuel costs are low for americans. this is an important step towards limiting energy dominance. if we are going to power domestic manufacturing, if we

are going to beat china in the ai race and deliver on affordable energy for all, we must ensure that domestic refining can keep up. i thank representative latta for introducing this important piece of legislation and i urge its immediate adoption. i yield back. mr.guthrie: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: listening to my colleagues on the republican side of the aisle, this report does absolutely nothing to address the price of the power and the like that continues to go up. i have this document from the joint economic committee, which i would like to ask unanimous consent to put into the record, if that's ok, mr. speaker. last year, president trump promised that energy bills would

be cut in half within 12 months of his taking office. and this shows state by state analysis how much like that bills have gone up instead of being cut. and my two colleagues here in kentucky, it says they have gone 11.8%. in ohio, 9.9%. in new jersey, 13.6%. certainly nothing like the cut in half that president trump promised. and this suggests that american households will pay 100 more per household. we will deal with pricing issues when we talk about l.n.g. it's clear that the republicans have no intention of dealing with this crisis of affordability or electric or

power bills as well. speaking of california, we have a california, here is mr. sean iowa. i yield totality gentleman. mr. desaulnier: to my friend from kentucky and i'll take you up and happy to have you come and look at the reason i wanted to come down because i have five refineries in my area. valuable tax providers and employers for many years, two of them, one is about to close and the other one is in the process. two others have been spent billions of dollars to invest in biofuels in a part of transition to more economical resources. and chevron is doing both.

and i listened to the same arguments 30 years ago ring been involved in secondhand smoke and the tobacco industry was asking to do studies bypass financing secondhand smoke ordinances that figured out the full cost. as a former restaurant who didn't allow people to smoke, i believe in research because i worked with the oil i represented the bay area on the california air resources board and i was appointed by two republicans and one democrat. 25% of the cars in northern california last year were e.v.'s. we knew this was coming and tried to work and invest in the refinery company and how we

transition. the local government will require those taxes and employees who do those jobs. let's do research and give states the ability to transition if they choose and local governments to transition. while i value the research let's be honest about having more research and changing the cost of our energy. almost 50 million americans live within a mile of a plant. their costs are disproportionately by what we know from traditional pollutants, particular ate matters, smog. and then it changes completely. i would suggest, mr. guthrie, before you come out to the bay area and i would like to take you to the ones.

because we know those of us who wanted to go to the once we are succeeding. the chinese are a global competition. the chinese auto industry is about to become the largest. they are all e.v.'s and moving to this. while we try to predict energy resources and rett's think about the transition to american families and taxpayers. i don't agree looking at it but one that tells the so we as policymakers can be as thoughtful as possible about our policy decisions, short-term and

long-term. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. mr. guthrie: i love going to california, haven't been to the bay area in a couple of years. we'll figure out an opportunity to come there my family tries to go to california every couple of years. last time i was in california, i was in the southern area not the bay area. it's stunning there i absolutely would love to come back out to the bay area. it is beautiful as well this. bill, we're talking about electricity prices which china is building an electric car industry, they're also building power generation like a coal pant a week to provide the energy for that. that generation. but this bill we're talking about is gasoline and diesel. remember, everything that arrives to a store comes on a truck. either the last mile, sometimes they come on train but the last

mile is almost always, or is always, a truck. so diesel prices, fuel prices matter. in tells of food prices. and everything else we consume. this is important to do. electrical affordability is also important to do. we are committed. we'll work together to get our prices down. but we have to produce more. that's what we are wondering, how do we efficiently and effectively and safely and cleanly produce more gas lean and diesel? you can't do it without more refining capacity unless you decrease demand for it which that's not the great -- that's not the avenue we have to go either. i'll now yield to my good friend to from texas, vice chair of the energy subcommittee of the energy and commerce committee, mr. weber of texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. weber: it's interesting to me that our friends across the aisle say we have enough oil, quote-unquote.

it's also interesting that president obama, when the gentleman from georgia, buddy carter, mention the keystone pipe line, 830,000 borels of oil a day. that's what we're talking about refining on the gulf coast of texas. if you transfer that to 18 wheelers, it's about 5,253 18-wheeler tankers on the road every day. the pipeline is the best way to do this. mr. speaker, in texas we understand better than anyone else that america's energy strength depends on what happens to the oil after it comes out of the ground. keystone pipeline is a good example. our -- it's our refinery, the men and women who run them. the communities build around those businesses. those that turn out resources, our resources into fuels and products that power everyday life. the refiner act takes on a question that washington has ignored for far too long.

are we doing enough to protect and expand america'sable to refine the energy rewe produce? right now, unfortunately, the answer is no. we're not. over the last several years, america's refining capacity has gone backwards. we've lost more than a million barrels of capacity per day and several facilities have shut down altogether. the gentleman from california mentioned one of them. in several states hostile policies are pushing refineries out so fast that families are now facing higher prices and increased dependence on foreign fuel. that's not how you build energy security, mr. speaker. that's how you weaken it. meanwhile, global demand for fuels is still rising. expected to grow by as much as 20 million barrels a day by 2050. the world isn't slowing down, mr. speaker. neither should american energy. the refiner act takes a serious look at that situation, directs the national petroleum council to review our refining capacity,

identify where we're vulnerable and highlight tuns for us to expand. in other words, it gives us the facts we need to strength on a critical part of our energy supply chain because when refinery close, families suffer. small businesses suffer. transportation costs rise. prices jump at the pump. and the whole region becomes depend on foreign suppliers. thank you. that is exactly the opposite of energy dominance vision we're working toward under president trump. and let me tell you, mr. speaker. you know this. in texas, we know what happens when refineries thrive. we fuel the nation. we even supply our allies. we make money doing this. we support thousands of good-paying jobs. the refiner act recognizes that refining isn't an afterthought, it is a foundational piece of our national security as well as our economic strength.

i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3109 and i yield back. mr. guthrie: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: as i mentioned, other than the commonwell of kentucky, california is one of the most beautiful state, they're all beautiful, we live in a wonderful country. but there's nothing prettier than the tunnel view from yosemite valley. i don't know with your changing lines so much but my good friend used to represent the beautiful natural resources in yosemite valley. you still do. i yield two minutes to my good friend and class mate elected the same year, mr. mcclintock of california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcclintock: no one has suffered more than californians because of the left's war on fossil fuels. 40 years of falling are now driving energy prices out of

reach for working families and driving those working families out of california. in 1980, 40 refineries served the california market, producing abundant gasoline and ease -- at easily affordable prices. mr. latta said 14 refineries were left. his numbers are old. we're now down to nine refineries and two more of those, phillips in southern california and valero in northern california are closing by april. that will leave us just seven refineries to serve the state. californians already pay the highest gasoline prices in the united states. averaging $4.64 a gallon as of yesterday. the same gallon cost only $2.56 in oklahoma. and when we lose these next two refineries, economists as u.c. berkley predict californians will be paying more than $8 a gallon by the summer.

left-wing se lots and gavin newsom obsess over a one-degree rise of global temperatures over the next century but couldn't care less that they're making it impossible for growing number oo hit heath their homes or get to work. this is not only a quality of life issue for californians and a cautionary tale for the rest of the country. it's a national security risk as well. 40 military bases depend on these dwindling west coast refineries and as california strangles production, we must increasingly rely on foreign imports from our enemies. h.r. 3109 requires the national petroleum council to report on ways to reverse such foolish and self-destructive policies. what has happened to california is the predictable result of bad policy made by fools. i hope the refiner act will shine a light on their folly and recommend ways to reverse the damage that they've caused before they can do any more harm to our nation's prosperity and

security. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. guthrie: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: mr. speaker, i will now yield two minutes to the distinguished member who just was elected recently to congress from bakersfield, california, distinguished mr., many fong, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. fong: i rise in strong support of h.r. 3109. s the senatorial unleashing our potential, lowering costs for hard working families. u.s. refineries are vital to our coe system. they convert crude oil into fuels into products ranging from shoes, plastics solar panel, medical devices even space suits that. i make gasoline and deed dee

sell for our cars and trucks and jet fuel for our planes. yet over the past few years our refining capacity has declined due to burdensome federal and state policies. i know this bitter reality all too well in my home state of california from 2020 to 2022, we lost more than one million barrels of production capacity per day. and i'm proud to represent the energy production capital of california, but that oil has to go somewhere. it has to be made into gasoline and refinery closures are projected to slash that capacity by 20% over the next year. 20% of refining capacity is going to disappear overnight. since 2018, over 360 energy companies have left california. oil production has dropped by 47 million barrels over the past five years. and foreign imports now account for over 60% of our crude supply in california. californians pay nearly $5 a gallon. in fact, californians are paying

the highest gas and electricity prices in the nation thanks to governor newsom's radical left failed energy policies. california has an affordability crisis that governor gavin newsom created but this crisis also goes well beyond the pump. as california fuel production declines, it jeopardizes our national security and undermine ours military readiness. as multiple strategic military bases rely on california fuel. with threats from our foreign adversaries like china only continuing to grow we cannot riskiliing our defenses weakened. the refiner act is common sense. it will help identify kays to expand refining capacity, protect our infrastructure, we must act now to restore american energy dominance, secure affordable fuel for families and restore our nation's deaf. i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i yield back. mr. guthrie: i reserve, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

mr. pallone: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to urge president trump and my republican colleagues to start taking the american affordability crisis seriously. president trump is simply out of touch with the reality that american families are facing. early this week he seemed to mockingly suggest that affordability is a word that democrats made up to attack him. that's rich coming from a man who has declared bankruptcy six times. the american people are hurting because of president trump and the republican policies. and they should not be mocked for that. even fox news reported last night that 76% of americans view the economy negatively. americans are struggling to afford basic necessities. a new report from the century foundation found that utility prices were up 32% since 2022. that's nearly three times the rate of inflation. and nearly a quarter of that

jump occurred just this year alone. these rising costs are debilitating to the middle class. nearly one in 20 households are in severe utility debt. roughly four million americans are at risk of having their utility bills sent to collections. it's an incredible number. they've done nothing wrong. they just can't afford to keep up with the exponential rise in electricity prices, they can't afford to pay the bill. the two bills on the floor today in my opinion will only increase the average utility bill even further. just last week the u.s. energy information association found that natural gas prices will rise by 16% in 2026 primarily due to increased l.n.g. exports amid flat production growth. secretary chris right wright prommed to double exports to countries like china within five years. the next bill we consider is about give manager l.n.g. to china. beijing.

communist china. why are we helping them? the american people desperately need a solution to lower energy costs at home. why does the president refuse or the secretary refuse to take care of the american people that the trump administration is supposed to represent? i've said it before but it bears repeating. the trump administration only cares about bailing out themselves, and their fossil fuel friends. it's time for republicans to come to the table to work with democrats on a solution to this affordability crisis. and it can begin here with the energy and commerce committee. so i urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and i yield back the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. impot re: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. thank you, mr. speaker. we're all concerned about the rising prices and my friend from new jersey talked about since 2022, and he said the impact of what happened the first months of this year. the digs were made prior to the

present trump administration to take poweroff line. i know in my community with the polar vortex a few years ago we had to have rolling blackouts because of taking power offline. we all want to address it. the way we address this is not taking power offline. not building new safer, my good friend from california talked about what they're doing in california to make refineries cleaner and safer. and that's what we want. we want refineries to refine in a safe, responsible, we can work together to do that. on the lng, we do have the gas in our country and people can develop, particularly in your home state, mr. speaker. can we move it towards where it needs to go. we know there are -- the challenge isn't access to gas but moving it to where it needs to be. natural resources had a markup.

and we hopefully can work together across the aisle to do our share to make sure that this explosive growth of energy is not just in gas and diesel but also in like that. we need what we can produce. and talk about china, china is struggling and working as hard as they can to beat us to control the data that flows around the world through ai. and it's our job to see that doesn't happen and that's because we have enough energy. this is a department of energy counsel made up of people in the industry to give us a report to see where we should go in making sure that america has proper refining. not a report that is going to produce what we do, but a report that informs us in what we do. on our side of the aisle we try to take as much information as

we can to make a reasonable decision to make sure we have clean, sustainable but ample and safe fuel for this country. because as you go to the grocery store through gasoline or diesel, it hurts americans when grocery and gas bills are high. this is what this is about. this is what we are going to accomplish as a committee. with that, i encourage a yes vote on 3109 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: all time for debate has expired. pursuant to house resolution 879, the previous question is ordered on the bill. the question on engrossment and third reading of the bill. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: h.r. 3109 a bill to

require the secretary of energy to direct the national petroleum counsel to issue a report with respect to petro chemicals in the united states and for other purpose. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the passage of the bill. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it -- mr. pallone: i would ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr.guthrie: pursuant to house resolution 879 i call up h.r.

1949. the clerk: union calendar number 225, h.r. 1949, a bill to repeal restrictions on the export and import of natural gas. pursuant to house resolution 87 # the bill is considered read and dwattable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member on committee on energy and commerce or respective designees. the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, each will control 30 minutes. mr.guthrie: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to insert extraneous material on h.r. 1949. the speaker pro tempore: without objection mr.guthrie: i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized mr.guthrie: february, 2016, the first cargo of l.n.g. set sail from the lower 48 making the united states a natural gas exporter for the first time since 1960's. exports increased to nearly 12 billion cubic feet per day making the u.s. the global leader of l.n.g. it has played an important role in providing affordable, abundant and clean energy to the world. this could not have been more evident than in 2022 when russia invaded ukraine and leaving europe without access to clean energy. immediately for our friends in europe, the u.s. producers against cargo to fuel their economies and heat their homes helping some of our most

important global allies and friends. the biden-harris announced an illegal and indefinite ban on exports in the name of stated climate change goals. current law is clear, requiring a statutory presumption in favoring of exports are in the public interest. plus, the vast majority of studies show not only l.n.g.g exports maintain low gas prices for americans. the biden harris administration threatened our allies and emboldened russia and other nepharious actors and created uncertainty. h.r. 1949 the unlocking domestic l.n.g. domestic act would make

sure this decision is never made again removing d.o.e. from the statutory process. this legislation maintains a president's authority to impose sanctions, prohibiting imports or exports if justified. free trade, open markets and competitions have resulted in u.s. emerging as a global energy superpower and lifting these restrictions will maintain this dominance at a time when it is needed most. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1949. a meeting a couple of years ago at the german government saying we need american l.n.g. gas to rain down upon us. high natural gas prices around the world they fund the russian army. not that they are buying from them but as the world price goes

higher, the russia price goes higher for the people to choose to buy from them. the president needs to have the authority. we are talking about our friends and allies who are dependent on us and i worry about what we do here in our country and america cannot cut itself off from the rest of the world and have our friends and allies look elsewhere for the natural gas they need to run their economy because they will do so if we don't step in and do this at this time. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong opposition to this bill. this bill would would allow unlimited amounts of l.n.g. to be set abroad to any destination

in the world including to our adversaries about china. this is all about china. the president gets up and says we need to export more l.n.g.g to china. they say they worry about beijing and what they are doing to challenge us and yet allow what this bill unlimited exports to communist china. and by sending more l.n.g. abroad it will reduce our energy resources at home and race utility bills. it just makes common sense that if you send l.n.g. abroad, it's going to raise the price here. it's just economic 101 in my opinion. americans are already being crushed by the rising cost of living and now republicans are making matters worse by pushing to drive up bills.

quite the adeparture to cut american power bills in half. he said it during the course of the campaign that in the first year he was going to cut power bills in half and instead they keep climbing. thanks to the congressional republicans' backward energy policies, more than 80 million americans are struggling to pay utility bills and have to pay for medicine or food or keeping lights on. i think it's a disgrace and instead of offering up solutions, republicans are here to make it worse. and let's be clear, it is a well accomplished fact that unlimited l.n.g. exports would increase prices at home. last year the secretary of energy noted unfeathered exports would increase domestic natural gas prices by over 40%.

if you are a republican who didn't trust the democratic department of energy, i assume you could trust your own current department of energy. just last week, the energy information administration noted it expects natural gas prices to increase by 16% next year due to largely exports of l.n.g. that's on top of 15% increase that americans have suffered this year and and president trump made in his first term. all this bill does is to make that problem worse by ensuring there are zero restrictions how much of our own l.n.g. we are shipping out. the only one who stands to benefit are fossil fuel companies indicating that republicans are more about padding their rich oil friends than the americans. china is one of the top

recipients of american l.n.g. not only the president but l.n.g. companies are bragging how they can sell to chinese buyers. this removes of whether exporting is in the public interest. the chairman said that that is a presumption. but i would argue it is more than a presumption. there is no longer any review of the public interest. and when i talk about the public interest, i'm talking about price, national security, impact on the environment and air that people breathe, but this leaves any review of what is in the public interest before you export to china or anyone else. the president talks about america first, but this is putting america last, in my opinion. so, you know, i don't know what to say, mr. speaker. we have seen this story before

10 years ago congress removed the ban on exporting american crude oil. before that, we were only sending china 420,000 barrels each year and now we send 160 million barrels a year. republicans are claiming the importance of beating china in the ai race. they said losing the race would be like losing the cold war to russia. this is like selling rocket fuel. it defiles all logic. we have approved enough permits to triple our l.n.g. exports and on top of quadrupling you have already seen. when my colleagues on the other side talk about europe and our

allies, there is no way at this point with the permits that have been approved that the europeans have to worry about not getting enough l.n.g. from us. it makes sense to ask the department of energy to keep an eye on this to ensure that all these exports are actually a good thing in our economy, national security and for the communities that we represent. that's all this bill does, get rid of all that. export to china. the american people are tired of these antics and don't have time for them and need to address the skyrocketing costs of living. they will see the republicans are making it worse and democrats are fighting to make it better to try and reduce prices. i urge my colleagues to vote no. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is

recognized. mr.guthrie: this bill does thouing to prohibit this president from limiting l.n.g. exports, sanking china, tariffing china. the people who are begging, i can tell you, for our energy is europe, who are our friends and i do know from meeting with friends from japan and korea, the natural gas we have in our state of alaska. so this is important and leader on this issue who fought for reliable, sustainable energy is the chairman of the energy subcommittee, mr. latta. and i yield him two minutes. . . . . mr. laturner: i thank -- mr. latta: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in support of this bill, the unlocking our domestic llg potential -- l.n.g. potential act introduced by my colleague from texas. this legislation will streamline regulatory approvals of l.n.g.

export facilities to meet the movement of global energy demands. this legislation removes unnecessary and burdensome reviews at the department of energy for exporting u.s. l.n.g. while maintaining the required site and viral reviews of frk. increasing opportunities for exports increases overall u.s. production, putting downward pressure on prices for everyone. the u.s. l.n.g. industry contributed $44 billion to the economy and supported 220,000 good-paying jobs while providing $11 billion in taxes and royalty payments. in response to russia's unprovoked invasion of ukraine in 2022, american energy producers immediately supplied europe and our allies with l.n.g. the u.s. was the number one supplier of l.n.g. to europe in 2023. unfortunately in 2024 the biden administration took politically

motivated actions to place an indefinite ban on l.n.g. export permits to appease the climate lobby. this legislation ensures that future administrations cannot unilaterally prohibit exports of l.n.g. for political purples. nothing in this legislation limits the authority of the president to impose sanctions on foreign governments, and does not affect the existing ferc authorities. h.r. 1849 brings commonsense reforms to treat l.n.g. just like other commodities such as crude oil. in the 114th congress, i was proud to support legislation from the energy and commerce committee that lifted the crude oil export ban which elevated the united states as the premier global oil producing nation. this bill will similarly allow our vast natural resources to advance our national security interests. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

i thank my friend, the chairman of the committee, for bringing forth this bill. and i yield back the balance of my time. mr. guthrie: i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield five minutes to ms. castor of florida. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. castor: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in opposition to h.r. 1949. it's a harmful bill that demonstrates how republicans in congress continue to ignore the rising cost of living and inflation that is crushing american families and that they're willing to sell out american energy to our adversaries like the chinese communist party. i know it wasn't even two weeks ago that president trump said, i don't want to talk about affordability. well, we're going to talk about it and we're going to stand up for people's pocketbooks at home. but this bill is just another example of how republicans have not brought one single bill to

the house floor that would lower energy costs for hardworking families. electricity bills are skyrocketing, and it's getting harder and harder for people to pay their utility bills. and now republicans in the trump administration are making it worse. they passed the big, ugly bill to rip away savings and rebates for cleaner, cheaper energy a few months ago. energy efficiency that keeps bills lower, all to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and the well-connected. and now they want to ramp up gas exports that will make life even more expensive. it wasn't even a year ago that the department of energy released a study that made it clear, continuing to approve gas exports would raise costs on u.s. households and businesses. and don't just take it from me. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to submit for the record a letter from the industrial energy consumers of america dated november 17, 2025.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. castor: they say this bill is inconsistent with the president's pledge to put america first, prioritizes gas exports over u.s. consumers by removing longstanding consumer protections. and that they urge everyone to oppose this bill and preserve those consumer protections. see, when you export more gas, that raises domestic gas prices. electricity prices and the cost of manufactured goods. a vote for this bill is a vote to raise utility bills. that's particularly problematic to the neighbors back home i represent in the state of florida. in the state of florida, the sunshine state, you would think would be powered by the sun. but we're 75% reliant on gas to generate electricity. so now you're saying, ok, floridians, you're already being crushed by utility bills, now

republicans are going to make it worse. it's raising costs on all of us in more insidious ways too because we do have a heating, a climate crisis across the world. so when you're paying more to address climate-fueled disasters like hurricanes, repair your homes, emergency response, property insurance, that is an additional cost generated by fossil fuels like more frack gas, given that large methane and carbon dioxide emissions are emitted during fracking, pipeline transport, l liquefacation, overseas shipping and combuston, costs -- combustion, costs go up and so does pollution and health risks, especially along the gulf coast. now let's talk about point number two. if higher costs in electric bills aren't going to convince to you vote against this bill, i hope that america's national security will.

republicans, the gas industry and their lobbyists want cart blanch to export gas to anyone, even our foreign adversaries. now, under current law, the u.s. department of energy is responsible for authorizing exports of domestically produced gas to foreign countries. in doing so, d.o.e. makes a determination whether or not that export is consistent with the public interest. republicans and industry want to eliminate that important review. that even if the gas goes to the chinese communist party and other foreign adversaries, that's ok. no need to look. no need to review that. that is wrong and dangerous. aren't republicans in congress concerned that shipping american energy overseas to china to power their a.i. data centers and their manufacturing is a risk, an economic risk, a military risk? you know, i also serve on the

house select committee on the strategic competition with the chinese communist party. on that committee we've heard over and over about the dangers of chinese industrial dominance. national resources -- natural resources for their economic and military advantage, they want to just kind of sweep up all natural resources across the globe. why would republicans in congress be party to that? but through this bill, house republicans want to make it easier for china to import u.s. energy, to power their industrial and military sectors. republicans have also enacted policies that wave a white flag to china on cleaner, cheaper energy, on electric vehicles, on the next generation of energy manufacturing and technology. all evidenced by what they have done in gught clean energy tax -- gutting clean energy tax credits in manufacturing and jobs and cost savings in their big, ugly bill. plus, it's hypocritical for

republicans on one hand to condemn chinese forced labor -- mr. pallone: i yield the gentlewoman an additional minute. one additional minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. castor: it's hypocritical for republicans to condemn forced labor, subsidies, intellectual property theft on the one hand and then allow massive amounts of u.s. resources to flow to chinese factories on the other hand. and these are not hypothetical concerns. in june the president posted hopefully china will be purchasing plenty of oil from the u.s. and then after meeting with president xi in october, the president said, a very large scale transaction may take place concerning the purchase of oil and gas from the great state of alaska. this is all too much. if these projects come online, u.s. l.n.g. would represent up to a quarter of all of china's contracted l.n.g. under the contracts that have already been entered into. look, i would urge colleagues now to do the patriotic thing,

really go ahead, put america first for a change. it's vitally important that energy export decisions benefit the american people, not our foreign adversaries. exporting more l.n.g. without guardrails does nothing to lower energy bills for hardworking american families. in fact, it will make it worse. and people deserve better. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. there's still protections in place, the president can sanction and not send to any adversary. what this does is prevent a president for some reason to suspend l.n.g., gas exports at a time when our friends from europe are literally begging for it. i know our friends in china and korea and japan are also asking for it. i'll now yield to mr. weber from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. webster: thank you, mr. chairman -- mr. weber: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of h.r. 1949, the

unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act. led by my friend and fellow texasan, representative pfluger. for years america has been blessed with y abundant natural gas, mr. speaker, and in texas we've been at the heart of it all. we are the world's number one producer of oil and natural gas and the top exporter of l.n.g. that didn't happen by accident. it happened because american workers, american innovators and american energy producers were finally unleashed. but under the previous administration we watched an indefensible freeze on l.n.g. export permits, a politically motivated blockade that put our economy at risk, undermined jobs, and was just simply wrong for global security. that was wrong for texans, wrong for americans, and wrong for our allies, working to wean themselves off of russian gas.

h.r. 1949 fixes that. this bill removes outdated restrictions on natural gas imports and exports, and puts decision making authority back where it belongs. with ferc, not some bureaucrats using climate reviews or climate change as a backdoor veto. even the microsoft founder, bill gates, is now backing up on his climate change. it's ridiculous. this bill restores certainty for developers who have already committed more than $70 billion, with a b, in new investments since president trump took office. it strengthens our hand abroad by ensuring our allies that they can rely on american energy instead of their adversaries. most importantly, it forces a simple truth -- it reinforces a simple truth. energy security is national security. in southeast texas, we understand that. better than anybody. we produce it, we refine it, we

ship it and we keep america moving every single day. h.r. 1949 is pro-jobs, pro-growth, pro-rally and proudly american energy. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1949, keep america the world's energy leader and i yield back. mr. griffith: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i thank you, mr. speaker. i yield four minutes now to a member of our committee, the gentleman from california, dr. ruiz. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. ruiz: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today on behalf of the residents of california's 25th congressional district against h.r. 1949, which would increase their energy bills. look, the desert communities i serve are already bearing the brunt of high energy bills and underinvestment in infrastructure. they simply cannot afford this bill. under trump, in the last nine months, electricity prices have gone up by 11% across the nation.

trump's one big, beautiful bill, better known as the big, ugly law, will simply make matters much, much worse by delivering higher energy costs, it will raise energy costs by over $600 a year in california. in my district families are already struggling with some of the highest energy costs in the nation. families in the desert are paying hundreds more per year, not because they're using luxury power, but because extreme heat makes air conditioning a necessity. for families, for many families the rising cost of energy is not abstract numbers. high costs force impossible choices between cooling their homes or risking heat-related illnesses. these bills being debated here today directly affect our health, safety and financial stability because they raise costs. more specifically, h.r. 1949, the unlocking our domestic

l.n.g. potential act, is a direct threat to working people, middle class families in my % country. this bill removes the requirement that the department of energy determine whether l.n.g. exports are in the public's interest. like lowering costs. before approving shipments to countries without free trade agreements. in other words, this bill assumes automatically and without review that every l.n.g. export is good for america and that assumption is not only responsible, it's dangerous and it's absolutely false. analysis has shown that increasing l.n.g. exports drives up natural gas prices here at home. and d.o.e.'s own review last year could not have been clearer. unconstrained l.n.g. exports will raise costs for american families and harm our economy.

... d.o.e. found the kind of unlimited exports under this bill would increase household energy costs by more than $100 per year on top of the cost increases already burdening families under the republicans' bun big -- one big, beautiful bill, i.e. big ugly law. this is a substantial giveaway to major oil and gas corporations, billionaires, executives at the expense of working people. once again. it strengthens foreign adversaries, including china, while forcing american families, especially those in extreme heat regions like mine, to pay the price through higher monthly bills. for the hardworking people of the coachella, imperial valleys and other areas where triple digit heat is life threatening reality, these rising energy costs are devastating.

they represent choices no family should ever be forced to make between cooling their homes during extreme heat or keeping their loved ones safe. this is not hypothetical. this is unacceptable. the people i represent are resilient and hardworking. right now they are facing higher energy bills while already dealing with extreme heat and limited resources. this bill will make matters worse. this bill will raise their costs even more. we need to lower costs not raise them. and that's why i urge a no vote on h.r. 1949. let's lower costs. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from connecticut is recognized. mr. barr: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield two minutes to a very valuable -- mr. guthrie: i yield two minutes to mr. allen from georgia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. allen: mr. speaker, thank

you -- i right in -- rise in support of h.r. 1949, the unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act. thank representative pfluger for his leadership on this bill. in january of last year, former president joe biden unveiled the latest of many attacks on our domestic energy capabilities when he announced an indefinite pause on pending approvals of liquefied natural gas exports or l.n.g. this made the russians happy. and europe could have used some help with their energy demand. not only was this decision completely unnecessary, but it was also economically and strategically dangerous. under both democrat and republican administrations, d.o.e. has consistently found u.s. l.n.g. exports serve the public interest with positive economic benefits and strengthening energy security for the american people. more recently studies confirmed increased american l.n.g.

exports do not significantly raise global emissions. in fact, quite the opposite. clean natural gas is a major reason why the united states has significantly reduced emissions. thankfully now we have a commander in chief that understands the importance of embracing an all of the above energy strategy and unleashing the production and export of clean, affordable, reliable american l.n.g. in the first days of this administration, the president signed an executive order reversing president biden's l l.n.g. pause, an important step in reclaiming global energy dominance and lowering costs across the board. it's shocking to me that house democrats will run to the news cameras and clamor about the cost of living while they also offer their full support for reckless anti-domestic energy policies from the biden administration that caused pr prices to skyrocket in the first place. look at the price of gasoline at the pump two years ago. look at the price of gasoline at

the pump today. that's all you have to do. the ripe energy costs are spiking because input costs are spiking. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. guthrie: an additional 30 seconds. mr. allen: i'm hopeful my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would join us in passing h.r. 1949 which amends the natural gas act to repeal all restrictions on the import and export of natural gas effectively overturning the biden-harris administration's attempt to undermine u.s. domestic energy production. moving unnecessary export controls on l.n.g. will strengthen domestic economy, increase the energy security in the u.s. and our allies. i urge a yes vote on 1949. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields much the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield three minutes to a colleague from new jersey, member of the committee, mr. menendez. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized mr. menendez: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to peak in opposition to h.r. 1949. this bill would force the department of energy to rubber stamp every l.n.g. export and strip the department of its ability to review whether those exports are actually in the public interest. at a time when families across the country are already seeing rising costs, republicans are doing the opposite of what's needed. instead of working to lower energy bills, they are prioritizing legislation that props up the fossil fuel industry and blocks affordable, clean energy that is ready to be connected to the grid. we already know that increased l.n.g. exports means higher energy prices for our communities at a time when families are already facing an affordability crisis. because of skyrocketing demand including from data centers, families in new jersey saw a 20% spike in electricity bills this

summer. further, republicans claim we need more fossil fuels to compete with china. if that's their concern, why advance a bill that makes it easier for china to purchase even more ofure domestic -- even more of our domestic energy? why are we driving up our own energy bills to help an adversary. it makes no sense. if we are serious about competing with china, we should take an all of the above strategy to energy production and fast track clean energy on to the grid. further, colleagues across the aisle should tell the trump administration to get revolution wind off the coast of rhode island back on track. that's how we produce more energy in this country. doing so would bring down prices for american families in the process. aim strongly opposed to this bill and i -- i'm strongly opposed to this bill. i your honor my colleagues to join me. put the interest of our country first. i yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kentucky they can is recognized mr. guthrie: mr. speaker, i yield to another good friend, yielding to good friends, all my good friends, i jackson lee to a very valued member of the energy and commerce committee, mr. balderson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. balderson: thank you, mr. speaker. house republicans and president trump remain firm in our commitment to lowering costs for families and restoring american energy dominance. i'm proud to represent parts of the utica and marcellus shale formations where natural gas development has transformed local economies and strengthened our nation's energy security. boosting natural gas production in ohio, expanding l.n.g. exports are essential to our vision of energy dominance. under the last administration, president biden repeatedly undermined domestic producers, including impose ago ban on new l.n.g. export permits. this misguided action discourages investments in american natural gas and harmed our allies abroad working to

reduce their dependence on russia energy. the unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act ends political interference in the permit process and unlashes america's full energy potential -- unleashes america's full energy potential. here are the facts, increasing l.n.g. exports would add over $70 billion to the u.s. economy and create over 400,000 american jobs by 2040. american l.n.g. is more than 40% cleaner than russian l.n.g. and since we have increased our l.n.g. exports, domestic natural gas prices have remained affordable and stable. under president trump, we are restoring american energy leadership. i want to thank congressman ewing pfluger for -- august pfluger for leading this important legislation. i urge my colleagues to vote yes. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, can i ask how much time remains on either side?

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey has 12 minutes remaining. the gentleman from kentucky has 17 1/2 minutes remaining. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i'd like to yield, mr. speaker, now two minutes to the gentlewoman from maryland, representative elfreth. miss elfreth: i rise in opposition to h.r. 1949, the unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act. i asked for two minutes, mr. speaker, i only need seven words. we should not be fueling our adversaries. this bill strips the department of energy's authority to provide oversight on exports of liquefied natural gas to foreign adversaries like china and russia, which poses what should be an obvious and grave threat to our national security unfettered sale of l.n.g. to countries like china and russia would power their data centers, a.i. stipples, and cyber missions. all by using american energy.

this legislation importantly is a departure from how we regulate all other energy sources. like oil and coal, we have laws that impose certain restrictions on exports to foreign entities of concern like china, russia, iran, and north korea. but l.n.g. under this new bill would not be subject to this policy, and i have to ask why. if this bill is really about better supporting our allies in europe and the indo-pacific, i support that. there are currently no restrictions from literally fueling our adversaries. by exporting l.n.g. we could be risking higher domestic natural gas prices, meaning our constituents and our neighbors would face higher leak tristate bills and pay more at the gas pump. that's why i plan on introducing legislation requiring d.o.e. to certify that l.n.g. exports 20 our foreign adversaries are actually in the public interest and align with our nation's national security needs. we must close this current loopholes exempting l.n.g. from oversight and affirm d.o.e.'s role in the process.

the premise is simple, it should not, is not, and should not be controversial or partisan. we should not be fueling our adversaries. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. guthrie: four minutes to the sponsor of the legislation, member of the -- valued members of our committee, mr. pfluger of texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pfluger: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in support of my legislation, proud to offer h.r. 1949 today. unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act. it's been a long time coming. for four years we suffered as a nation under biden administration's disastrous energy policies that put our energy security and the security of our allies at serious risk. the white house launch add whole of government assault on american energy production. slow rolling permits, killing infrastructure projects like pipelines and pandering, most importantly pandering to radical climate activists. then they deliver perhaps the most damaging and egregious move

of all, they banned new exports on l.n.g. this wasn't to help the environmental laws or lower prices for american families. it was to satisfy the radical green activists. let me be clear this ban put politics over people by jeopardizing the american economy and happening putin a life line as our european allies were forced to scramble for energy. this is not leadership. that was failure. it gets worse. after independent experts uncovered major flaws in the study used to justify the freeze, the biden administration doubled down. senior officials deliberately hid reports that completely contradicted their argument. the administration knew the truth and they hid it. they buried it. mr. speaker, the american people deserve the truth. that exporting american l.n.g. strengthens our country. u.s. l.n.g. exports replace dirtier fuels from adversaries like russia and iran. during biden's l.n.g. ban russia overtook the u.s. as the lead supplier of gas to europe.

in world was this good for the american consumers or our allies. i'd like to say republicans and democrats have similar goals, but that's just not true. we had four years to study this. we had four years of evidence on this. and democrats want to kill hydrocarbons, plain and simple. republicans are moving to lower prices. anybody who knows this industry, anybody who has studied this industry, anybody who has been to where this industry happens, knows for certain that this is a good bill because they understand not just the economics of it, but they understand the long-term implications of this industry. if you vote against it, you teld the american people one thing, you haven't studied this industry. gas exports strengthen our economy, they stabilize pricing, and drive much needed investment in infrastructure that bolsters our energy security. the facts are clear, we must reform the broken approval process and unlock l.n.g.'s potential. my bill does exactly that. it eliminates the politicized

d.o.e. which was weaponized by the previous administration and gives ferc sole authority over that authorization process. this is common sense. ferc already leads the review of l.n.g. facilities under section 3 of the natural gas act t completes the environmental work. it completes the technical review. it completes a full analysis. we are cutting the red tape. this is promises made, promises kept. the unlocking domestic l.n.g. potential act removes that red tape and replaces it with a streamline, transparent process that gives producers certainty, strengthening global energy security and lowering the cost for all of our domestic consumers. we have to depoliticize the export process. once again when the biden administration banned l.n.g. exports, they weaponized and they politicized that aspect, but today we have the opportunity to stand with the american families and businesses and lower the cost and restore energy dominance. .. this legislation should be an easy, bipartisan bill.

if you support affordable, reliable energy, then this bill strengthens our economy. it lowers prices and it signals that you've studied the industry and that you know your facts. i urge all my colleagues to support this and i'm proud to offer h.r. 1949 and i yield back. mr. griffith: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, thank you, mr. speaker. i just want to mention that my colleagues on the other side, that the biden administration did not ban l.n.g. exports. there was a pause because they were concerned about the public interest because in particular, the price -- it was increasing the price for power, for natural gas and so many other things. so it made sense to take a review and see what that meant for price, what that meant for national security, what that meant for the environment and climate. but the reality is that the amount of natural gasper mitts and l.n.g. per -- gas permits and l.n.g. permits continued to rise and rise every day.

so this idea that somehow they banned it is simply not the case. i'd like to yield now three minutes to my colleague from illinois, mr. casten. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. casten: my colleague just said that to vote against this bill means you haven't studied the energy industry. so i rise today as someone who spent 20 years working in the energy industry. i rise today as the son of someone who spent his entire career in the energy industry. i'll take my fancy book learning or school of hard knocks learning against all of you any day. what strikes me in listening to this debate is it reminds me of a paper weight my dad had on his desk when i was a little kid. on one side of the barrel it said, relax, the price will go down. if you flipped it down, it said, relax, the price will go up. because energy consumers want the price to be cheap, energy producers want the price to be low and if you work in the energy industry as long as i have or even if you work there for 35 seconds, you spend time talking to consumers and

producers. the debate that's going on here in this body is not what is in the consumers' interests and producers' interests, it's what's in the national interest. the debate across the aisle is y'all are making a very articulate case for energy producers. it's not lost on us that most of you represent districts that are heavily dominated by producers. over here there's a very articulate case on behalf of consumers because most of americans i would hazard to guess are consumers. because when we export natural gas from the united states, we reduce domestic supply, which pushes up the price. that's why the natural gas act since 1935 among other things has required that gas export facilities can't be built unless they are in the national interest. not producers' interests, not the drillers' interests, not some random chinese fertilizer manufacturers' interest, the national interest. you want to talk about facts and people who study this. let's talk about the department of energy.

there's an l.n.g. export terminal, i'm sure you're away of it, in freeport, texas. in june of 2022, it was shut down because of a fire for about a month. that gave us real-time experiments on exactly what happens when you make a marginal shift in the export of l.n.g. from the united states. according to the department of energy website, this is what happened. quote, the u.s. natural gas spot price fell by 13% on june 9. the price continued to decline by an additional 17% through the end of june. prices fell largely because the outage at freeport decreased u.s. natural gas exports, putting downward pressure on natural gas prices. that's 30% inflation in just one month from just one facility. supply and demand is real. this ain't complicated. so understand what your bill is trying to do. by stipulating that all exports are in the national interest, you are stipulating that raising

every americans' monthly heating bill is in the national interest. this week donald trump gave a speech where he said, we are looking at affordability, we are going to bring it down for everybody. i think he meant we're going to make things more affordable, but you understand the point. well, if you all care about affordability, if you care about the national interest, if you just care about proving donald trump right for once, if you just care about doing what he tells you to do, vote no on this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. casten: i yield back. the gentleman from new jersey reserves -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i will now yield two minutes to another distinguished member of the energy and commerce committee, my friend from florida, mrs. cammack. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. cammack: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you to chairman guthrie. today i rise in support of the unlocking domestic l.n.g. potential act. in 2024 america exported nearly 12 billion cubic feet of l.n.g. every single day.

now, that is enough l.n.g. to power almost 48 million homes in a single day -- in a single day and what we are now faced with is making a realization of president trump's vision of american energy dominance real. l.n.g. has a huge part to play in this vision. but we are fighting with one hand tied behind our back. american oil and gas producers are restrained by bureaucratic red tape and the lingering rules and regulations of the biden administration. the unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act stands as a pivotal piece of legislation poised to bolster united states energy security, foster economic growth, and promote environmental sustainability. at its very core the bill aims to streamline the regulatory process surrounding the exportation of l.n.g., thereby unleashing the full potential of america's abundant natural resources. now, in north central florida, not many people know this, but we are home to one of the largest bunkering l.n.g. hubs in

north america. this is critical to our domestic economy, as well as our national security. first and foremost, the reason why this bill is so important is it addresses the biden administration's extreme l.n.g. permit ban. by facilitating the exportation of l.n.g., we reduce our reliance on foreign energy sources, mitigating the geopolitical risks and we of course enhance our national security in the process. expanding l.n.g. capabilities, export capabilities, it means that this is job creation, it stimulating investment in our energy infrastructure, and fosters innovation across the related industries. increased l.n.g. exports translate into expanded market, bolstering domestic production, and will do more in the next 50 years than we can imagine. as i mentioned, the state of florida is a dominant player in this role and we need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make sure that the unelected bureaucrats

are not hindering growth. i encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield. mr. guthrie: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman from new jersey -- kentucky reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i just want to say that we want the world -- the world price is based on what we produce here in our country. i just want to say, just because we're sitting on massive reserves of natural gas, while our friends in europe are suffering, while our friends in korea and japan are asking for it, it just -- to say that -- the argument is if you don't export any natural gas, the argument some people seem to be making is the price would go down, but that's just not true because it's going to -- the producers are going to produce the real price. our real problem in price of

natural gas is to get it distributed to where it needs to go and that's pipelines and i hope we can work together on permit reform. i will now yield two minutes to my good friend from the energy producing state of oklahoma, my good friend, mrs. bice from oklahoma, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. bice: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in strong support of the unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act. which will support a robust natural gas industry in the u.s. and meet president trump's goal of achieving american energy dominance. natural gas is a major engine of economic growth, particularly in oklahoma. l.n.g. exports alone in the u.s. support more than 273,000 u.s. jobs, and contribute $40 billion to our g.d.p. this sector is a lifeline for communities across the country, including oklahoma's fifth congressional district. and we must ensure it has stable framework to reach its full potential. l.n.g. exports are also a win for the environment. a recent s&p global study found

the u.s. l.n.g. exports reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 65 million tons. anyone serious about lowering global emissions should strongly support the expansion of american l.n.g. yet despite this abundance of benefits, president biden chose to unilaterally ban the issue of l.n.g. export permits. while this was overturned by a court, if approval for export is determined on political appointees at the department of energy, the threat of a future ban from a progressive presidential administration remains in place. turning these decisions over to a neutral party like the federal energy regulatory commission will ensure that the industry is kept safe from such reckless attacks in the future. some argue that l.n.g. exports raise energy prices for americans by reducing domestic supply. this claim is simply false. increased export opportunities

incentivize production and drive efficiency gains which will help domestic prices continue to be affordable. given the abundance of economic environmental benefits from l.n.g. exports, i believe it's critical that we help protect the industry from misguided political attacks such as those made by the biden administration last year. i urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. mr. guthrie: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. you know, i hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, republicans, talk about the demand for l.n.g. in europe and how we're not giving europe or other allies enough liquid l.n.g. the fact of the matter is that we are sending more l.n.g. to our european allies and our other allies than ever before.

d.o.e., the department of energy, has issued enough permits to triple our export capacity from what it is today, even if they never issued another permit. that will take us into the early 2030's, when european policy is set to reduce natural gas consumption. we have approved so many terminals that most forecasters are seeing a massive glut of l.n.g. on the market starting next year, and running well into the 2030's. if this bill never becomes law, our european allies, our allies, south korea or japan was mentioned, will be well supplied. what's really happening here with this bill is helping china. that's what this is about. beijing, communist china. in 2024 alone, the united states exported over 200 billion cubic feet of gas to china. so at a time when americans are struggling to pay their heating bills and our power grids are facing unprecedented demand, president trump and his republican party care more about

subsidizing china's economic development and basically lining the pockets of the fossil fuel friends. republicans claim to be obsessed with beating china at the a.i. race. so why are they trying to advance a bill that makes it easier to send american l.n.g. to china to fuel their data centers and a.i. tools? why are they putting the profits of chinese technology companies over the well-being of american families and the success of our american companies? and i said this before but it bears repeating. republicans on the energy and commerce committee have compared winning the a.i. race with china to the importance of winning the cold war. but if that's true, then why are we sending more energy and trying to send even more and more energy to china? it makes absolutely no sense. h.r. 1949 will enrich big oil and the chinese technology companies that rely on l.n.g. to fuel their data centers, all while worsening the energy affordability crisis that americans are experiencing.

the only americans that benefit from this deal are the rich fossil fuel executives. h.r. 1949 squarely puts china first and america last. and the president keeps talking and the republicans keep talking about putting america first. how does this bill do that? this bill does the opposite. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i was actually in a meeting with europeans at the highest level of government and somebody pointed, when they talked about we need more l.n.g. exports from the united states, and the ban was criticizing the ban, somebody made the point that my friend just made to them, i understand all your terminals are full, you can receive a any more anyway, they said, we need the world price to come down. we have to have the world price to come down. energy prices in germany are three times what they are here. could you imagine trying to compete in the global economy when energy prices are three times as high when you have a

neighbor a few countries over that's invaded unrow advocated an illegal invasion of another country? we can't just dismiss that this is important to europe as well. just because they have full terminals. i will yield two minutes to my good friend from the neighboring state and neighboring -- a good neighbor from west virginia, mrs. miller, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. miller: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. speaker, i mrs. miller: i rise today in strong support of h.r. 1949, the unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act of 2025. as co-chair of the energy export caucus, i understand that eliminating harmful barriers around american energy exports is essential to strengthening our economy and national security. this legislation takes a crucial step cutting threw bureaucratic red tape which has slowed or even stalled natural gas imports and, ports for far too long. giving the federal energy regulation commission sole

authority to approve or deny natural gas applications eliminates permitting bottle next and gives american energy producers a clear and reliable path to move forward with critical projects. h.r. 1949 ends the harmful biden-era delays on liquefied natural gas, export approvals. delays discourage investment, undermine our energy leadership, and threaten the security of our global partners who depend on the united states to break free from harmful foreign influence. the united states is blessed with abundant natural gas resources and our producers stand ready to meet rising global demand. our nation must capitalize on what we have here at home and continue to make meaningful progress to stay competitive in the global energy arena. h.r. 1949 ensures that american energy remains affordable and accessible, keeping it unmatched on the world stage. i urge my colleagues to support this important piece of

legislation. thank you. i yield back. mr. guthrie: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: he has two more speakers. i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i will yield two minutes to my good friend from the great state of texas, mr. babbitt -- babbitt. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. babbitt: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in strong support of h.r. 1949, the unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act of 2025. i'm proud to be an original co-sponsor of this very, very important legislation. the united states is already the world's leading producer of oil and natural gas and also the top exporter of l.n.g. a whole lot of that energy comes straight out of my district in the great state of texas. that's why it is long past time that we repeal the harmful

politically motivated biden-era restriction that is have shackled and locked down our l.n.g. industry. these restrictions did nothing but to threaten american jobs, drive away investment, and undermine the energy security of our own allies and friends. h.r. 1949 led by my friend, representative august pfluger from texas, fixes this. it lifts restrictions on the import and export of natural gas and allows american l.n.g. to flourish once again. mr. speaker, america should never, ever voluntarily surrendered its energy advantages. not when our production strengthens families, communities, and their paychecks. certainly not when texas and our gulf coast stand ready to supply l.n.g. to the world safely, cleanly, and reliably. energy security is national security. we must never forget this. i'm proud to support this bill.

it's a wise good bill that will strengthen america. i urge my colleagues to join me in unlocking america's full l.n.g. potential to achieve world energy dominance. with that i yield back. mr. guthrie: before i reserve introduce my good friend from texas as a colleague, fellow chairman, chairman of the science committee. i reserve. one more speaker. mr. pallone: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield two minutes to another the gentleman from texas, chairman of the house budget committee, my good friend from texas, mr. arrington. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. arrington: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. as i listen to the ranking member talk about china's need for u.s. energy, thank god it's that way and not the other way around. because if we follow the green new manifesto with the regulatory assault on u.s. energy, and kept throwing hundreds of billions of dollars

in distorting green new deal energy subsidies, that's exactly what would happen. we would wake up and be dependent on china for yet one more critical product. mr. speaker, i'm proud to stand alongside chairman guthrie and my fellow texan august pfluger in strong support of unlocking our domestic l.n.g. potential act. america is the world's top exporter of l.n.g.a vital pillar of both our economic strength and national security. in an effort to placate the radical left, which i think is primarily the motivation, the biden administration with its whole government assault on american energy froze new l.n.g. export permits, with no economic, environmental, or national security justification. that reckless decision threatened billions of u.s. investment, undermine our allies, and arm energy -- harm energy producing regions like west texas. we now have the president, white house, committed to doing the right thing for our country, the

producers, and consumers. and committed to making american energy great again and not weaponizing this authority for purely ideological purposes. this bill removes politics from the export permit process and secures america's position as the world's energy super power. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and prevent future administrations from threatening america's energy dominance. i thank the chairman again for his leadership. i yield back. mr. guthrie: reserve and ready to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, mr. speaker. i respect the chairman of our committee so much, but he said in the last time he spoke that we need the world energy price to come down. what about the price here in the united states? the price is higher in the rest

of the world than it is here, that's why the rest of the world wants more of our l.n.g. because it's cheaper for them. but what about us? shouldn't we be primarily concerned about americans and the price here? this bill in my opinion is just a giant handout to big oil and gas that enriches our adversaries, primarily china, and forces middle class families to pay the price with higher home energy bills. the bill removes the requirement that the department of energy determined l.n.g. exports to be in the public interest before approving any export applications. so it assumes the bill assumes that all exports of l.n.g. are automatically in the public interest. and i think this is absurd considering multiple analysis have found increased l.n.g. exports directly lead to higher natural gas prices here in america. last year, the department of energy's own review was clear.

unfettered gas exports will hurt the american economy. found that energy costs would go up by more than $100 per year for every individual. at the same time that's on top of the costs imposed by republicans' big beautiful or ugly bill. the department of energy also found the natural gas prices would increase by over 30%. we are essentially in this bill removing crucial safeguards. and what you are going to have instead is the wild west. allowing all adversaries like china to purchase more of our energy essentially to use against us. this is the same playbook republicans ran when they repealed the crude oil export ban in 2015. after that repeal went through oil exports to china increased from 420,000 barrels per year to over 160 million barrels per year in 2023. last year the united states sent 213 billion cubic feet of l.n.g.

to china. trump says he wants to send even more. he says it all the time. all i'm saying is if feeding china is really as important as republicans and president trump claim, we shouldn't be raising our own energy prices just to fuel chinese data centers. that's what this bill does. i ask my colleagues to vote no. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i appreciate it. the price is different around the world because of the way it's contributed. the natural gas, the price of natural gas is the price of natural gas. the price to use it you have to get to market, you have to have it there. to use an example my friend from illinois said, mr. speaker, that if you -- you have a real world example, there was a terminal that went off line that was supposed to export natural gas. it burned. it went off line. so there was natural gas moving to that terminal, all of a sudden for a few days you had an

excess of capacity of natural gas. the argument would be we would have the same production of natural gas if we just shut down all of the ports. if you are going to use one as an example, if you shut down them all, and we continue to produce the same level of natural gas, the price would drop. the issue is that there is a certain point it costs you to produce natural gas. you have to reach that point. so what we are saying is, there is a world price for natural gas. if you continue to expand markets for people to ship natural gas, you will continue to have natural gas. and they'll continue to drill to meet those market demands around the world. if you shrink the demand around the world artificially by banning the exports, then you are not going -- they are not going to produce as much natural gas and it doesn't affect the price. you can point to times where there are disruptions in the supply, but overall -- it's basic economics. that's how it works.

so, mr. speaker, also you can cause what president biden did, a pause, as opposed to ban, i know from the time he implemented the pause or ban until president trump came into office you couldn't ship natural gas. so either pause it or ban it, that's saying the same thing. , when mr. speaker, this is important. we do want to beat china. i have tremendous a respect for my ranking member. we want to work together to beat china. we are going to work together to beat china because that unites all of us. everybody in this room and chamber wants america to be first. we are going to work together to do that. this is important. we may disagree on this policy. i think it's important. and i encourage my colleagues to vote for this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. all time for debate has expired. pursuant to house resolution 8p 7 -- 879, the previous question is ordered on the bill. the is question on engrossment and third reading of the bill. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

the ayes have it. the third reading. the clerk: a bill to repeal restrictions on to export and import of natural gas. the speaker pro tempore: yet is on the passage of the bill. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- the yeas have it. mr. pallone: i ask for the yeas and nays, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess subject to the call of the chair.